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Aerial  TraniM^ays 


American 
Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Sales  Offices 

CHICAGO 208  S.  LaSalle  Street 

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EXPORT  DEPARTMENT:  New  York     .     .     .     30  Church  Street 

PACIFIC     COAST    DEP'T:     San  Francisco  .     .  Rialto  Building 

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Los  Angeles,  Jackson  and  Cent.  Aves. 


American  Steel  &  Wire    Company's 

Trenton-Bleichert  System 
of    Aerial    Tram\^ays 

Reversible     Aerial     Tram\^ays    and 
Aerial  Tram^vays  of  Special  Design 


r 


American    Steel    &    Wire    Company 

Manufacturers    and    Sole    Licensees    in 
America    under   the    Bleichert    Patents 


Copyrighted  by  the  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company  of  N.  J.,  1914 


Length  of  line,  li-yi'  tect. 

Trenton-Bleichert  Tramway  of  the  Eureka  Slate  Co..  Slatington,  Cal. 
View  of  2,400-foot  span  across  the  American  River  Canyon. 


7  J 

American  Steel  &  Wire  Company's 
Tram\^ays — Trenton-Bleichert  System 

THIS  system  of  aerial  tramways  is  one  whereby  the  material 
is  carried  in  receptacles  suspended  from  carriages  on  stationary 
track  cables  of  special  construction,  supported  at  varying  eleva- 
tions above  the  ground.  The  carriers  move  in  a  continuous  circuit, 
at  definite  intervals,  determined  by  the  individual  loads  and  the 
amount  of  material  to  be  transported  in  a  given  time,  and  at  dis- 
tances apart  varying  in  accordance  with  the  speed;  the  loaded 
carriers  traveling  along  a  line  of  cable  graduated  in  size  to  the 
weight  it  has  to  support,  and  the  empties  returning  along  a  lighter 
line  of  cable  parallel  with  the  loaded  line.  Motion  is  imparted  to 
the  carriers  by  means  of  a  comparatively  light  endless  wire  rope,  of 
the  ordinary  or  Lang  lay,  commonly  known  as  the  traction  rope,  to 
which  the  carriers  are  gripped.  These  Tramways  belong  to  that 
class  of  aerial  tramways  known  to  many  as  the  "Double-rope,"  in 
contradistinction  to  the  "Single-rope"  class,  wherein  one  rope  per- 
forms both  the  functions  of  support  and  propulsion. 

This  system  is  especially  adapted  to  the  transportation  of  ores, 
coal,  crushed  stone,  slate,  clay,  sand,  and  all  kinds  of  raw  materials. 
It  is  also  well  adapted  to  the  conveyance  of  fruits,  cereals  and 
other  plantation  produce,  cordwood  and  sawmill  products,  manu- 
facturers' supplies,  refuse,  materials  in  process  of  manufacture, 
merchandise  of  all  kinds,  and  particularly  products  requiring  care- 
ful manipulation,  such  as  explosives,  liquids,  glassware,  and,  in 
fact,  all  materials  that  admit  of  being  carried  in  moderate  loads. 

The  materials  are  carried  in  bee  lines,  directly  from  the  loading 
stations  to  the  places  of  delivery,  without  rehandling,  at  costs  per 
mile  varying  from  2  cents  to  5  cents  per  ton. 

These  Tramways  are  especially  adapted  to  mountainous  local- 
ities, and  are  recommended  for  heavy  service.  The  ruggedness  of 
contour,  steepness  of  grades,  and  width  of  valleys  or  rivers,  are  no 
bar  to  the  successfid  operation  of  such  a  line.  The  costly  grading  of 
circuitous  routes,  and  the  building  of  expensive  bridges  or  viaducts, 
requisite  in  the  construction  of  mountain  railways,  are  entirely 
avoided.  In  fact,  this  system  of  tramway  often  affords  a  means 
of  communication  with  points  inaccessible  by  any  kind  of  a  surface 
road. 

More  than  3,000  lines  have  been  built,  aggregating  over  1,800 
miles  in  length,  and  about  200  million  tons  annual  capacity.     One 

7125Ei. 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


line,  carrying  40  tons  hourly  of  ore  a  distance  oj  21  miles,  the  longest 
aerial  tramzvay  ever  built,  has  a  vertical  descent  of  11,000  feet. 
Spans  occur  in  this  line  exceeding  half  a  mile  in  the  clear. 

Even  in  cases  where  the  ground  favors  the  construction  of  a  rail- 
way, a  Trenton-Bleichert  tramway  will  often  be  fotrnd  the  more 
economical  installation,  owing  to  the  additional  cost  of  loading  and 
unloading  the  railway  cars,  due  to  the  fact  that  such  cars  cannot 
be  brought  close  to  the  places  where  the  material  is  obtained  or 
delivered,  and  this  additional  cost  may  exceed  the  entire  cost  of 
operating  a  Trenton-Bleichert  tramway. 

Every  detail  has  been  thoroughly  worked  out  to  meet  the  varying 
conditions  incident  to  the  construction  and  operation  of  our  instal- 
lations, and  particular  attention  is  invited  in  the  folloiving  pages  to  our 
LocKED-CoiL  Track  Cable  axd  our  Patent  Compression 
Grips,  the  merits  of  which  have  contributed  so  largely  to  the 
economy,  durability  and  superior  efficiency  of  otir  tramways. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram>vays 


Track  Cables 


THE  Track  Cables  used  exclusively  in  the  aerial  tramways  built 
by  the  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company,  known  as  the  Trenton 
locked-coil  cables,  are  so  named  from  the  fact  that  the  outer  wires, 
which  are  drawn  to  shape,  interlock  one  with  the  other,  as  illustrated 
in  Fig.  I.  The  smooth 
surface  of  this  cable  re- 
sults in  a  uniform  distrib- 
ution of  wear  not  obtained 
in  any  other  kind  of  cable, 
which  adds  to  the  life  not 
only  of  the  cable  itself, 
but  also  of  the  carriage 
wheels  that  traverse  it. 
No  other  track  cables  Fig-  i-  Trenton  Locked-Coil  Track  Cable. 
made  can  compare  with  the  Trenton  locked-coil  cable  in  durability.  This 
cable  is  made  in  lengths  varying  from  800  to  1,500  feet,  and 
owing  to  its  peculiar  construction  is  quite  stiff,  but  sufficiently 
flexible  to  be  shipped  in  coils  from  5  feet  to  6  feet  in  diameter. 

Wire  cable  of  the  ordinary  construction,  composed  of  round  wire 
strands,  laid  about  a  hemp  or  wire  strand  core,  is  not  at  all  adapted 
to  the  purpose,  on  account  of  the  rapid  wearing  out  and  fracturing 
of  the  comparatively  small  wires  under  the  constant  traction  of  the 
carriage  wheels.  The  special  forms  of  cables  with  approximately 
cylindrical  surfaces,  composed  of  strands  made  of  round  wires 
wrapped  about  triangular  or  other  shaped  core  wires,  are  little 
better.     In  the  effort  to  obtain  from  such  cables  a  reasonable  service. 


Fig.  2.    Ordinary  Wire  Cable  after  4  months'  service  as  a  Track  Cable. 


Fig.  3.     Trenton  Locked-Coil  Track  Cable  {1%  inch  diam.),  from  the 

Highland  Boy  Tramway,  Bingham,  Utah,  after  carrying  two  million 

tons  of  ore  in  a  period  of  6  years.      (From  photographs.) 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


larger  sizes  have  been  used  than  actually  required  as  far  as  strength 
is  concerned,  but  these  large  cables  are  cumbersome,  and  experience 
has  shown  that  the  additional  service  obtained  is  hardly  commen- 
surate with  the  difference  in  cost,  nor  anything  like  equal  to  the 
ser\'ice  obtained  from  the  smaller  sizes  of  the  locked-coil 
cables.  With  the  locked-coil  cable,  in  event  of  any  of  the 
outer  wires  breaking — which  rarely  happens  until  after  years  of 
service — the  ends  of  the  wires  do  not  protrude  and  result  in  a  ragged 
surface  of  tangled  wires  as  with  the  ordinary  or  special  forms  of 
cables  referred  to,  but  alwa)'S  present  a  smooth  surface. 

The  superintendent  of  a  concern  operating  one  of  our  tramways, 
after  having  tried  various  kinds  of  track  cables,  writes  as  follows: 

"Your  locked-coil  cables  have  unquestionably  given  us  better  service 
than  any  of  the  different  designs  we  have  tried  so  far.  As  a  matter  of  busi- 
ness courtesy  we  would  not  care  to  specify  the  different  types  of  cables  we 
have  tried  for  carrying  cables.  We  believe  it  is  quite  sufficient  to  state  that 
for  our  purpose,  and  based  on  our  experience,  the  locked-coil  cable  is  the  best, 
and  we  are  so  far  satisfied  of  this  fact  that  we  shall  make  no  further 
experiments  along  this  line." 

When  a  lower-priced  equipment  is  desired,  and  the  conditions 
are  favorable,  we  oft'er  what  is  known  as  the  smooth-coil  cable,  illus- 
trated in  Fig.  4.  This  cable  is  composed  simply  of  a  number  of  com- 
paratively large  round  wires  coiled  in  concentric  layers  about  a  core 
wire,  the  number  of  layers  and  size  of  the  wires  varying  according 
to  the  size  of  the  cable,  which  is  in  reality  simply  a  large  strand,  the 
surface  of  which,  when  new,  resembles  that  of  a  spirally-fluted  cylin- 
der, and  when  worn  approximates  that  of  a  smooth  round  bar.  The 
smooth-coil  cable  is  more  durable  than  the  track  cables  offered  by 
other  makers  at  the  same  price,  made  of  smaller  wires,  and  barring 


Fig.  4.     Smooth-Coil  Track  Cable. 

the  locked-coil  cable,  is  unsurpassed  as  a  track  cable  in  its  wear- 
ing qualifications. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram^iv^ays 


Track  Cable  Oiler. — We  manufacture  a  special  carrier,  illus- 
trated in  Fig.  1 8,  for  coating  the  track  cables  with  oil,  or  with  any 
standard  cable  coating  sufficiently  fluid  to  pass  through  the  pump. 
The  oil  or  standard  compound  is  carried  in  a  cylindrical  tank,  to 
which  is  attached  a  small  rotary  pump,  driven  from  the  carriage 
wheels  by  a  belt  and  gears,  that  forces  the  material  up  through  a 
small  pipe  to  the  cable  at  a  point  just  under  the  middle  of  the 
carriage. 

Couplings. — Particular  attention  is  invited  to  the  facility  with 
which  the  locked-coil  and  the  smooth-coil  track  cables  can  be 
installed,  renewed,  or  extended  from  time  to  time  as  occasion 
may  require,  owing  to  the  comparatively  short  lengths,  varying,  as 
already  stated,  from  800  to  1,500  feet,  which  are  joined  by  patented 
steel  couplings,  illustrated  in  Fig.  5.  Each  coupling  consists  of 
three  pieces,  two  taper  sockets  of  nickel  steel  which  are  attached,  by 
means  of  a  press,  specially  designed  for  the  purpose,  illustrated  in 


Fig  5.     Patent  Coupling. 

Fig.  6,  to  the  respective  ends  of  the  cables  to  be  joined,  and  a 
central  plug,  which  has  a  right  and  left  hand  thread  corresponding 
to  the  threads  in  the  coupling  sockets. 

By  inserting  the  plug  and  turning  it,  the  sockets  are  drawn  to- 
gether against  the  central  collar  of  the  plug,   forming  a  perfectly 


Fig.  6.     Press  for  attaching  Coupling  Sockets  to  Track  Cable 


secure  and  serviceable  joint  possessing  the  same  tensile  strength 
as  the  cables,  and  offering  no  obstruction  to  the  free  passage  over 
them  of  the  carriages  from  which  the  buckets  are  suspended.     This 


Ill  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

not  only  facilitates  the  handling  of  the  cables,  but  if  at  any  time 
any  one  section  or  portion  of  a  section  becomes  worn  in  service, 
or  is  in  any  way  injured,  the  worn  place — whether  it  be  a  few  feet 
or  more — can  be  cut  out,  and  a  new  piece  of  cable  of  the  required 
length  inserted  by  means  of  the  coupling's.  An  opportunity  is  thus 
afforded  of  renewing  the  cable  as  occasion  requires,  which  cannot 
be  done  with  cables  made  of  twisted  strands,  since  the  splices  that 
would  have  to  be  made  do  not  give  good  resuhs,  and  the  operation 
of  making  such  a  splice  is  generally  a  very  difficuh  and  expensive 
undertaking. 

Advantages  of  Statioxary  Tr.\ck  Cables. — The  track  cables 
are  graduated  to  the  loads  and  pressure  they  have  to  sustain,  and, 
being  stationary,  possess  the  great  advantage  of  relieving  the  trac- 
tion rope  of  the  weight  of  the  loads,  so  that  on  comparatively  level 
lines  the  tension  upon  the  traction  rope  is  but  little  more  than  the 
tractive  force  required  to  move  the  loads.  Upon  slopes,  however, 
the  weight  of  the  loads  is  shared,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  both  the 
track  cable  and  traction  rope,  the  amount  borne  by  each  depending 
on  the  inclination ;  the  steeper  the  inclination  the  greater  the  weight 
on  the  traction  rope  and  the  less  on  the  track  cable,  and  rice  versa. 
The  stress  upon  the  track  cable,  however,  varies  little  with  differ- 
ences in  the  inclinations,  since  it  is  weighted  to  a  maximum  safe 
tension  so  that  such  differences  result  only  in  corresponding  varia- 
tions in  the  deflections,  but  the  stress  upon  the  traction  rope  will 
depend  on  the  slope,  and  it  is  important,  therefore,  in  estimating 
upon  any  line,  to  know  what  the  grades  are.  A  further  advantage 
derived  from  the  use  of  stationary  track  cables  is  the  decreased  wear 
and  tear  due  to  the  high  tension  to  which  these  are  stretched,  thus 
securing  to  the  loads  a  comparatively  direct  path ;  in  other  words, 
they  are  subject  to  less  fluctuations  of  rise  and  fall,  or  wave  motion, 
than  in  single  rope  lines,  since,  in  the  latter,  the  deflections  for 
similar  loads  must  necessarily  be  greater  to  correspond  with  a  prac- 
tical safe  working  tension,  and  the  double  duty  the  rope  has  to  per- 
form of  supporting  and  moving  the  loads.  For  this  reason,  also,  and 
owing  to  the  greater  strength  of  the  track  cables,  the  Trenton- 
Bleichert  System  is  adapted  to  the  transportation  of  much  hea\der 
loads  than  is  practicable  in  any  kind  of  single-rope  tramway. 

The  curves  of  the  track  cables  are  carefully  plotted  to  the  con- 
tour of  the  ground  for  a  safe  working  tension,  and  the  heights  of 
the  supports  determined  accordingly.  For  this  purpose  a  profile 
of  the  ground  made  from  an  accurate  survey  is  required  in  any 
case.  The  cables,  however,  when  the  Hne  is  erected,  are  actually 
stretched  to  a  somewhat  lower  tension,  so  that  there  may  be  no 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Trani>vays 


11 


bX) 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


possibility  of  their  lifting  out  of  the  saddles  upon  which  they  rest. 
Transporting  Track  Cables  Over  Mountain  Trails — Track 
cables  that  have  to  be  transported  over  mountain  trails  are  gen- 
erally cut  in  lengths  of  5oo  to  800  feet,  vi^hich  are  most  conveniently 
carried  on  the  shoulders  of  men,  as  shown  in  the  picture  on  the 
preceding  page. 


Loading  Terminal,  Trenton-Bleichert  Tramway  of  the  United  States 

Mining  Company,   Bingham,  Utah.     Showing  Detacher  and  Loaded 

Carrier  in  position  for  attaching  to  the  Traction  Rope. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram^vays  13 

Traction  Rope 

THE  traction  rope  is  made  of  six  strands  coiled  about  a  hemp 
core  in  the  usual  way,  each  strand  being-  composed  of  selected 
steel  wires,  varying  in  number  and  grade  according  to  the  size  of 
the  rope  and  the  duty  it  has  to  perform.  Our  lines  are  generally 
equipped  with  the  style  of  rope  illustrated  in  Fig.  7,  commonly 
known  as  the  "Lang-lay."  The  peculiarity  of  this  rope  is  that  the 
strands  and  the  wires  of  which  they  are  composed  are  both  twisted 
in  the  same  relative  direction,  whereas  in  the  ordinary  rope  they  are 
twisted  reversely  one  to  the  other.  In  the  Lang-lay  rope  the  wires 
of  one  strand  are  approximatel}'  parallel  with  the  wires  in  the  ad- 
joining strands,  which  renders  it  somewhat  more  flexible  than 
ordinary  wire  rope  of  the  same  diameter  and  the  same  size  of  wires. 
The  chief  advantage,  however,  is  due  to  the  diagonal  lav  of  the 


Fig.  7.    Lang-Lay  Traction  Kope  as  it  appeared  after  having  transported  over 

660,000  tons  of  ore. 


exposed  surfaces  of  the  wires  with  respect  to  the  axis  of  the  rope, 
which  makes  the  surface  contact  with  any  particular  wire  much 
greater  than  in  ropes  of  the  ordinary  lay,  in  which  the  exposed 
wires  are  parallel  with  the  axis,  and  the  wires  of  one  strand  cross 
those  of  the  adjoining  strands  at  nearly  right  angles. 

The  above  illustration  is  from  a  photograph  of  a  piece  of  a 
^-incli  rope  taken  from  the  Highland  Boy  tramway  of  the  LTtah 
Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  after  it  had  been  in  constant  service  4 
years  and  9  months,  during  which  time  661,125  tons  of  ore  were 
transported.  With  the  rope  replacing  this  over  a  million  tons  of 
ore  was  transported. 

The  following  from  the  general  manager  of  the  Camp  Bird 
Ltd.,  Ouray,  Col.,  relates  to  a  ?^8-iiich  cast  steel  traction  rope  of  the 
Lang-lay : 

"We  are  to-day  changing  the  traction  rope  on  our  tramway,  and  it  may 
interest  you  to  know  that  this  rope  was  installed  November  8,  1898,  has  been 
in  constant  use  until  January  25,  1905,  and  during  that  period  387,050  tons 
of  ore  have  been  conveyed  from  the  mine  to  the  mills,  a  distance  of  about 
8,800  feet.  We  have  no  accurate  record  of  the  tonnage  delivered  back  from 
mills  to  mine,  but  it  is  approximately  8,000  tons-" 


14 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Traction  Rope  Coatixg  Device. — The  traction  rope  should  be 
coated  occasionally  with  some  standard  cable  coating,  especially  in 
cases  where  the  line  remains  idle  at  times,  to  protect  it  from  rust. 

A  convenient  device  for  coating  or  varnishing  the  traction  rope 
is  illustrated  in  Fig.  8.  This  consists  of  a  U-shaped  receptacle 
containing  the  oil  or  coating,  which  is  suspended  near  one  of  the 
terminal  guide  sheaves.  The  rope  passes  over  a  small  roller  in  this 
receptacle,  which  in  revoh-ing  slushes  it  with  the  coating  material, 
and  then  between  some  brushes  that  wipe  off  the  drip. 

Traxsportixg  Tractiox  Rope  Over  ^Mountain  Trails. — With 
equipments  that  have  to  be  packed  over  mountain  trails  on  the 
backs  of  mules,  the  traction  rope  is  put  up  in  coils  weighing  about 
150  pounds  each,  which  are  arranged  in  pairs  so  as  to  be  con- 
veniently carried  astride  the  animals"  backs,  leaving  a  space  between 
each  pair  of  coils  of  about  25  feet.  In  this  manner  a  very  long  rope 
can  be  carried  unbroken  over  a  narrow  trail  by  a  train  of  mules,  as 
shown  in  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page. 


Fig.    8.      Coating    Device    for    Traction 
Rope. 


Trenton- HI eichert  Aerial  Tramw^ays 


15 


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16  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Rolling  Stock 

THE  ordinary  carrier,  such  as  used  for  transporting  ore  and 
like  material,  illustrated  in  Fig.  9,  consists  of  a  carriage  that 
traverses  the  track  cables,  from  which  is  pivoted  in  suspension  a 
hanger  that  supports  a  bucket  or  other  receptacle,  and  above  which  is 
a  grip  by  means  of  which  attachment  to  the  traction  rope  is  effected. 
The  carriers  move  in  a  continuous  circuit  at  definite  intervals, 
the  loaded  carriers  traveling  along  one  line  of  track  cable,  and  the 
empties  returning  by  the  companion  cable,  which  in  the  ordinary 
constructions  is  parallel  with  the  loaded  line,  as  already  stated. 
When  the  carriers  arrive  at  either  terminal,  or  other  loading  or 
discharge  stations,  the  grips  detach  automatically  and  the  carriages 
are  shunted  to  overhead  rails,  supported  by  the  structure  of  the 
station,  and  by  means  of  which  they  are  conveyed  to  the  various 
points  of  loading  or  discharge  as  the  case  may  be. 

Carriages. — The  carriages  each  consist  of  two  steel  side  plates, 
between  which  are  mounted  two  cast  steel  wheels,  fitted  with  phos- 
phor-bronze pins,  so  designed  that  as  the  upper  surfaces  become 
worn,  they  can  be  turned  around  underside  up.  The  hanger  pins 
are  made  of  the  best  machinery  steel. 

Grips. — The  Webber  Patent  Compressiox  Grip  zvith  zvhich  the 
ordinary  carriers  are  equipped  can  be  used  on  the  steepest  grades. 
With  this  grip  no  buttons,  lugs  or  knots  of  any  ki)id  are  required 
on  the  traction  rope,  and  the  troubles  incident  to  the  slipping  of 
such  contrivances  are  entirely  avoided.  A  great  economy  is  also 
effected  in  the  life  of  the  rope,  ozcing  to  the  fact  that  the  icear  is 
not  confined  to  certain  spots,  but  is  distributed  over  the  entire  rope. 
The  gripping  of  the  traction  rope  is  also  effected  zcith  certainty,  and 
automatically,  by  means  of  a  patented  device  shozcn  in  Fig.  9,  the 
operation  of  zchich  is  such  that  the  jazi's  take  hold  of  the  rope  zcith- 
out  the  slightest  jerk  as  the  carrier  is  pushed  out  from  the  station. 
The  wearing  parts  are  all  of  cast  steel.  This  grip  has  given  such 
universal  satisfaction  that  it  has  entirely  superseded  the  old  friction 
and  lug  grips  formerly  used. 

At  angle  and  terminal  stations,  where  the  buckets  are  not  dis- 
charged, but  merely  have  to  pass  around  the  sheaves,  it  is  reason- 
able to  look  for  an  economy  of  labor  in  the  passage  of  the  carriers 
without  detaching  from  the  traction  rope.  This  is  more  especially 
the  case  with  lines  equipped  with  self-dumping  buckets,  such  as 
illustrated  in  Figs.  13  and  14,  page  19.  which  are  discharged  at 
various  points  along  the  line.     With  the  ordinary  carrier  equipped 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram-ways  17 

with  an  underhung  grip  attached  to  the  hanger  between  the  carriage 
and  the  bucket,  it  is  obvious  that  this  is  impossible,  not  necessarily 
because  the  grip  must  come  in  contact  with  the  flanges  of  the 
sheaves,  but  because  on  the  angle  side  of  the  bend  the  hangers 
would  come  between  the  rope  and  the  sheaves,  which  would  be 
objectionable,  to  say  the  least,  if  not  altogether  infeasible.  This 
difficulty  is  readily  overcome  by  running  the  traction  rope  just 
above  the  track  cables,  and  making  the  grip  an  integral  part  of  the 
carriage  mechanism,  as  in  Figs.  lo  and  ii. 

The  construction  of  the  Trenton-Bleichert  Patent  Automatic 
Overhead  Grip  illustrated  in  Fig.  lo  is  such  that  the  weight  of  the 
carrier  acts  as  the  gripping  force,  which  varies  with  the  inclination 
of  the  cable,  but  this  construction  possesses  the  advantage  of  being 
independent  of  any  nice  adjustment  of  the  grip  jaws,  so  that  the 
grip  automatically  accommodates  itself  to  irregularities  in  the 
wear  of  the  traction  rope. 

The  overhead  grip  illustrated  in  Figs.  13  and  14,  page  19,  is 
similar  in  its  action  to  the  Webber  grip,  the  bite  of  the  jaws  being 
self -locking  under  a  positive  invariable  pressure,  determined  by 
adjusting  screws. 

It  is  not  practicable,  however,  to  run  the  traction  rope  above  the 
track  cables  in  cases  where  the  line  crosses  mountain  ridges,  or  other 
points  where  sharp  vertical  angles  or  sudden  changes  of  grade  occur, 
owing  to  the  downward  pressure  of  the  rope  which  would  throw  the 
empty  carriers  out  of  plumb.  The  Trenton-Bleichert  Patent  Auto- 
matic Underhung  Grip  illustrated  in  Fig.  1 2  may  be  used  in  such 
cases.  This  grip  is  similar  in  its  action  to  the  Trenton-Bleichert 
Overhead  Grip  illustrated  in  Fig.  10 — the  gripping  force  being  exerted 
by  the  weight  of  the  carrier — and  possesses  the  same  advantage 
in  not  requiring  any  adjustment  of  the  jaws  to  the  wear  of  the 
traction  rope.  Since  the  grip  forms  an  integral  part  of  the  carriage, 
it  also  possesses  the  advantage  of  accommodating  itself  to  varying 
inclinations  of  the  cable,  without  pulling  the  bucket  out  of  plumb, 
as  it  does  with  an  underhung  grip  attached  to  the  hanger. 

Receptacles. — The  ordinary  buckets  and  other  receptacles  are 
shown  in  the  illustrations.  Self -dumping  buckets  are  furnished 
when  required,  which  may  be  both  self-dumping  and  self-righting, 
as  illustrated  in  Fig.  2 1 ,  page  2 1 ,  or  simply  self-dumping  as  illus- 
trated in  Figs.  13  and  14,  page  19.  The  latter,  which  are  somewhat 
lighter  and  cheaper  than  the  self-righting  buckets,  are  generally 
used,  since  it  requires  little  or  no  eiTort  on  the  part  of  the  operator 
in  loading  to  right  and  latch  the  bucket.  Self-righting  buckets  are 
only  required   in  cases  where  the   construction  is   such  that   it  is 


IS 


American  Sieel  &  Wire  Company 


^::^v 


Fig.  9.  Carrier,  with  Webber  Patent 
Compression  Grip,  showing  Pat- 
ent Automatic  Attacher 


Fig.    10.      Carrier,    with    Bleichert 

Patent  Automatic  Overhead 

Grip. 


Fig.  II.    Bale  Carrier,  with  Over- 
head Grip. 


Fig.    12.     Carrier,    with    Bleichert 

Patent  Automatic  Underhung 

Grip. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramvays 


19 


Fig.  13.  Carrier,  with  Self- 
Dumping  Bucket  loaded,  show- 
ing arrangement  of  Automatic 
Attacher  and  Detacher  as  used 
with  Single-Cable  Reversible 
Tramways. 


Fig.  14.  Carrier, 
with  Self-Dump- 
ing Bucket  empty, 
passing  support 
on  return  trip  after 
dumping. 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Fig.  15.    Platform  Carrier,  for  bar- 
rels, boxes,  etc. 


Fis;.  16.     Cordwood  Carrier. 


Fig.  17.     Banana  Carrier.  Fig.  iS.    Track-Cable  Oiler. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramw^ays 


21 


Fig.  19.     Log  Carrier 


Fig.  20.     Liquid  Carrier. 


Fig.  21.     Carrier,  with  Self-Dump- 
ing and  Self-Righting  Bucket, 
for  Reversible  Tramways. 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


inconvenient  for  the  operator  to  attend  to  both  righting  and  loading 
the  buckets,  or  where  the  empty  bucket  in  returnmg  enters  the 
loading  station  close  to  the  ground  or  floor,  and  there  would  be 
insufficient  clearance  for  the  ordinary  bucket  to  come  in  as  it  does 
upside  down.  In  either  case  the  latch  that  secures  the  bucket  is 
disengaged  at  the  desired  point  of  dumping  by  a  specially  designed 
tripping  bar  attached  to  the  track  cable  or  station  rail  as  the  case 
mav  be,  the  bucket  being  so  hung  that  it  instantly  turns  over  and 
discharges  its  contents.  In  dumping  along  the  line  at  a  high  eleva- 
tion between  supports  at  a  considerable  distance  apart,  this  tripping 
bar  is  generally  attached  to  a  frame,  guyed  to  the  ground  by  wire 
ropes,  in  order  to  prevent  the  rebounding  of  the  cable  in  dumping 
and  consequent  possibility  of  the  carrier  being  thrown  off.  This 
construction  is  shown  in  Fig.  22.  Special  receptacles  are  made  to 
suit  the  material  to  be  carried,  a  few  of  which  are  illustrated  on 
pages  1 8  to  21  inclusive. 


Fig.  22.     Self-Dumping  Buckets,  showing  Tripper  and  Cable  Hold- Down 
Frame,  on  line  of  the  Colorado  Fuel  and  Iron  Co.,  Sopris,  Col. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram>vavs 


Supports 

THE  supports  may  be  of  wood  or  steel,  as  preferred,  and  the 
accompanying  views,  Figs.  23,  25  and  26,  show  the  ordinary 
constructions  of  wooden  supports.  Other  designs,  however,  are 
made  to  correspond  with  the  weight  they  have  to  sustain  and  to 
meet  the  special  conditions  involved,  as  shown  in  the  views  on 
pages  24  and  26,  Figs.  24  and  2I . 


Fig.  23.    Support  on  line  of  The  Nevada  Gypsum  Co., 
Mound  House,  Nev. 


The  spacing  of  the  supports  is  governed  by  the  contour  of  the 
ground  and  the  capacity  of  the  line.  Over  level  ground  the  dis- 
tance apart  will  vary  from  200  to  300  feet.  In  mountainous  locali- 
ties, where  the  contour  is  rugged  (see  profile  sheet  at  back  of  book), 
the  distances  between  the  supports  will  vary  greatly,  being  closer 
on  the  ridges  and  wider  apart  in  the  valleys. 

Trestles. — Where  much  of  a  vertical  angle   occurs    in    passing 


24 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Fig.  24.     Steel  Support,   100  feet 

high,  on  line  of  the  Carbon 

Coal  and  Coke  Co., 

Trinidad.  Col. 


Fig.  25.      Support  90  feet  high,  on 

line  of  The  Yampa  Smelting  Co., 

Bingham,  Utah. 


over  a  ridge  or  bluff,  structures  are  erected,  consisting  of  a  series 
of  bents,  from  15  to  20  feet  apart,  that  usually  support  lines  of 
rails  overlapng  the  track  cables,  although  where  the  traffic  is  light, 
ordinary  saddles  are  sometimes  used  in  place  of  the  rails.  The 
rails,  which  are  the  same  as  used  at  the  terminal  and  other  stations, 
relieve  the  cables  of  the  undue  wear  to  which  they  would  otherwise 
be  subjected.  A  structure  of  this  kind  in  the  line  of  the  San  Toy 
Mining  Co.  is  illustrated  on  page  26. 

Long  Spans. — In  crossing  ravines,  valleys  and  rivers,  on  the  other 
hand,  spans  have  been  made  exceeding  half  a  mile  in  the  clear. 
The  frontispiece  shows  a  2,400-foot  span  across  the  American 
River  Canyon,  in  the  line  of  the  Eureka  Slate  Co.,  Slatington,  Cali- 
fornia.    Spans  over  1,000  feet  are  common.      Long  spans  are  not 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  TramM^avs 


Fig.  26.     Support  on  line  of  The  Eureka  Slate  Co.,  Slatington,  Cal. 


Length  of  line,  900  feet.  Hourly  capacity,  50  tons. 

Trenton-Bleichert  Tramway,  Great  Scott  Coal  Co.,   Star  City,  W.  Va. 


2H 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Fig.  27. 


1 ;       Support  un  line  1  if  the  Old  Hundred  Mining  Co., 
Howardsville,  Col. 


LenRth  oi  line,  2o,!^oo  feet. 


Hourly  capacity,  50  tons. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Tramway  Rail  Station.      San  Toy  Mining  Co.. 
Chihuahua,  Mexico. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Train^vays  27 

objectionable  provided  the  loads  are  not  so  great  as  to  produce  too 
sharp  an  angle  at  either  support.  Special  saddles  known  as  "protec- 
tion saddles"  are  used  on  such  supports  (illustrated  in  Fig.  28). 
These  saddles  are  provided  with  hinged  steel  hoods,  that  cover  a 
certain  portion  of  the  cable  on  both  sides  of  the  saddle,  and  protect 
it  from  undue  wear.  They  are  also  used  on  supports  where  there 
may  occur  occasionally,  with  certain  positions  of  the  carriers,  such  a 
tension  as  to  cause  the  cables  to  lift  out  of  the  saddle  s'rooves. 


Fig.  28.     Protection  Saddle. 

Tension  Stations. — In  lines  of  considerable  length  it  is  neces- 
sary to  apply  tension  to  the  track  cables  at  intermediate  points  on 
account  of  the  saddle  friction.  Special  structures  known  as  "ten- 
sion stations"  are  erected  for  this  purpose,  at  which  the  track  cables 
are  parted,  the  ends  of  which  are  either  rigidly  anchored  or  coun- 
terweighted.  The  carriers  pass  from  one  section  of  cable  to  the 
next  by  means  of  intervening  rails,  such  as  used  at  the  terminal 
and  other  stations,  without  being  detached  from  the  traction  rope, 
so  that  no  interruption  occurs  in  the  continuity  of  the  track,  and 
the  so-called  station  therefore  is  in  reality  only  a  special  type  of 
support.  The  cable  ends  of  each  section  may  be  anchored,  or  one 
section  may  be  anchored  and  the  other  counterweighted,  or  both 
sections  may  be  counterweighted,  according  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  location,  and  such  stations  therefore  are  respectively  designated 
as  double  anchorage,  anchorage  tension,  and  double  tension  stations. 
The  views  of  anchorage  tension  stations  on  the  next  page  illustrate 
the  ordinary  timber  and  steel  constructions. 

Guard  Nets  and  Bridges. — In  crossing  public  highways  or  rail- 
roads, wdiere  it  is  desired  to  guard  against  the  risk  of  accident  from 
the  premature  discharge  of  a  bucket  or  other  cause,  wire  nets  cire 
usually  suspended  between  supports  on  either  side,  or  structures. 
specially  erected  for  the  purpose.  Illustrations  of  such  nets  are 
shown  on  page  29.  These  nets  are  supported  by  wire  ropes 
stretched  between  the  supports  and  firmly  secured  at  each 
end  to  ground  anchorages  or  braced  bents.  Accidents,  however, 
are  of  very  rare  occurrence,  and  unless  the  traffic  is  considerable, 
a  guard  net  is  unnecessary.     A  possibility  of  such  construction  is 


2S 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Fig.  29.    Tension  Station.     Steel  Structure. 


Fig.  30.    Tension  Station.     Timber  Structure. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramways 


20 


Guard  Net  on  line  of  The  Farnam-Cheshire  Lime  Co.,  Cheshire,  Mass. 


Guard  Net  on  line  of  The  Solvay  Process  Co.,  Solvay,  N.  Y, 


:io 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


illustrated  in  the  \dew  on  page  31,  showing  an  aerial  tramway 
crossing  a  number  of  railroad  tracks  over  a  suspension  bridge, 
which  not  only  serves  as  a  protection  to  the  railroad,  but  also  as 
a  supporting  structure  for  the  track  cables  and  traction  rope 
of  the  tramway.  A  steel  bridge  covered  with  sheet  iron  spans 
the  main  tracks  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  near  Johnstown, 
Pa.,  where  the  aerial  tramway  of  the  Cambria  Steel  Co.  crosses,  and 
a  similar  bridge  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  protects  some  tracks  under  the 
line  of  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Co.  Such  structures,  however,  are 
only  required  where  extreme  precaution  is  necessary. 


Along  the  line  of  the  Utah  Consolidated  Mining  Co.'s 

Trenton-Bleichert  Tramway, 

Bingham  Canyon,  Utah. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramwav! 


31 


32  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Stations 

THE  Trextox-Bleichert  System  of  aerial  tramways  is  more 
especially  adapted  to  long  hauls  between  definite  points  of 
loading  and  discharge,  and  finds  its  widest  application  as  a  means  of 
communication  with  mines  or  quarries  in  mountainous  or  other 
localities  where  a  surface  line  of  any  kind  would  be  impracticable  or 
could  only  be  built  at  great  expense.  The  stations  are  so  designed 
and  equipped  as  to  make  the  operation  of  the  tramway  as  nearly 
automatic  as  practicable,  so  that  but  little  labor  is  required. 

Terminals  axd  Intermediate  Stations. — Ordinarily  the  only 
stations  required  are  the  terminals,  one  where  the  receptacles  are 
loaded  and  the  other  where  they  are  discharged,  designated  respec- 
tively as  the  loading  and  discharge  terminals. 

It  is  often  desired,  however,  to  load  or  discharge  at  intermediate 
points,  in  which  case  stations  are  erected,  so  designed  that  the  car- 
riers may  be  detached  from  the  traction  rope  and  switched  ofif 
along  shunt  rails  for  such  purposes,  or  may  be  run  through  without 
detaching,  as  circumstances  may  require. 

Lines  of  great  length  or  very  heavy  capacity  sometimes  have  to 
be  divided  in  sections,  owing  to  bends  in  the  line,  or  on  account 
of  the  stress  in  the  traction  rope,  which  if  operated  in  one  length 
would  be  so  great  as  to  preclude  the  ordinary  sizes  of  rope  such 
as  the  grips  are  constructed  for.  In  such  cases  the  connecting 
stations  of  course  are  located  where  the  division  of  the  line  can 
be  made  to  best  advantage.  If  angles  happen  to  occur  in  such 
a  line,  the  connecting  stations  are  most  advantageously  located  at 
such  points,  but  in  any  event  due  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
stress  in  the  traction  rope. 

Shunt  Rails.  Switches,  Etc. — The  carriers  upon  arriving  at 
any  station  are  automatically  detached  and  shunted  to  overhead 
rails  of  our  double-head  pattern,  made  especially  for  this  purpose, 
by  means  of  which  they  are  taken  to  the  various  points  of  loading 
or  discharge,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  thence  to  the  opposite  cable 
where  they  are  attached  mechanically  to  the  traction  rope,  and  again 
sent  out  over  the  line,  loaded  or  empty,  as  the  case  may  be. 

At  the  points  where  the  carriers  enter  or  depart  from  a  station, 
the  shunt  rails  terminate  in  what  are  known  as  "terminal  shoes" — 
a  special  form  of  saddle  so  designed  that  the  transition  of  carriers 
to  and  from  the  cables  is  without  jar.  These  shoes  are  provided 
with  hinged  steel  hoods,  similar  to  those  used  on  the  "protection 
saddles"  described  and  illustrated  on  page  27,  which  save  the  cables 
from  luidue  w^ear. 


Trentoii-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram^vays 


33 


Length  of  line,  5,300  feet.  Hourly  capacity,  62j<  tons. 

Loading  Terminal.     Parley's  Canon  Lime  and  Stone  Co., 
Parley's  Canon,  Utah. 


Length  of  line,  12, 27^  feet.  Hourly  capacity,  60  tons. 

Discharge  Terminal.     Yampa  Smelting  Co.,  Bingham,  Utah. 


34 


American   Steel  &  Wire  Company 


The  diagrams  on  the  inset  sheet  opposite  this  page  ilhistrate  the 
usual  constructions  of  the  terminal  stations  in  a  line  operated  by 
g'ravity.  The  ordinary  shunt  rails  for  taking  the  carriers  around 
the  terminal  sheaves  are  shown  in  the  plans  by  the  full  lines.  These 
shunt  rails  ma}^  be  extended  by  means  of  switches,  so  as  to  reach 
distant  points  of  discharge  as  indicated  by  the  dotted  lines;  so 
also  at  the  loading  terminal  where  the  material  is  taken  from  several 
bins  or  various  points  of  loading.  Turntables  are  used  where 
angles  have  to  be  turned  and  the  space  will  not  admit  of  a  switch. 

With  such  switches  or  turntables  it  is  practicable  to  operate  a 
system  of  shunt  rails  whereby  a  large  area  may  be  covered  for 
purposes  of  loading  or  discharge. 

The  views  of  stations  on  page  38  show  carriers  in  position  about 
to  be  attached  to  the  traction  rope. 

AxGLE  Stations. — In  selecting  the  route  for  any  line  it  should 
be  distinctly  borne  in  mind  that  it  is  impracticable  to  operate  along 
curves,  and  that  differences  in  vertical  elevations,  no  matter  Jiozu 
rugged  the  ground,  are  seldom  considered,  from  a  practical  point 
of  viezv,  as  obstacles  to  a  perfectly  straight  course.  It  is  not  always 
possible,  however,  to  obtain  the  right  of  way  for  a  straight  course, 
and  bends  are  made  in  such  cases,  but  it  should  be  clearly  under- 
stood that  such  bends  are  only  practicable  by  angles,  and  that  every 
angle  requires  a  station  for  supporting  the  necessary  deflecting 
sheaves  and  shunt  rails.  \Mth  overhead  grips  the  carriers  if  de- 
sired may  be  passed  around  the  sheaves  without  detaching  from 
the  traction  rope,  but  it  is  necessary  in  such  cases  to  use  sheaves 
of  large  diameter,  requiring  expensive  structures.  It  is  not  always 
practicable,    however,    to    use    overhead    grips.      With    underhung 


Length  of  line. 

Angle  vStation.      Plymouth  Cordage  Co..  Plymouth.  Mass. 


Treiitoii-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram^vays 


DISCHARGE  TERMINAL 

FOR 

TRENTON-liLEICHERT  TRAMWAY 


Treii<ou-I?leIehert  Aerial  Trani^vavs 


grips  the  carriers  must  be  detached  from  the  traction  rope  upon 
entering-  the  station,  in  order  to  pass  the  deflecting  sheaves,  and  be 
re-attached  in  despatching  them  from  the  opposite  sides.  Inter- 
vening shunt  rails  are  used  for  this  purpose  and  an  attendant  is 
required  to  pass  the  carriers  and  grip  them  to  the  traction  rope. 
Such  stations,  therefore,  add  not  only  to  the  first  cost  of  the 
ecjuipment,  but  also  to  the  cost  of  operating,  and  should  be 
avoided  as  far  as  possible.  There  is  no  objection,  however,  to 
angle  stations  in  cases  where  these  happen  at  points  of  loading  or 
discharge,  or  wdiere  one  section  of  a  line  connects  with  another 
section,  since  stations  with  attendants  would  be  required  at  such 
points  in  any  event. 


t    4.- 


Length  uf  line,  21,000  feet.  Hourly  capacity,  100  tons. 

1,100-foot  Span  on  Utah  Con.  Tramway,  IJingham  Canyon,  Utah. 


Speed  Controllers. — It  usually  happens,  especially  with  ores, 
coal  and  other  raw  materials,  that  the  discharge  is  at  a  lower  eleva- 
tion than  the  loading  station,  and  that  the  fall  is  often  sufficient  for 
the  gravity  of  the  descending  material  to  develop  an  amount  of 
power  in  excess  of  that  required  to  operate  the  line.  In  such  cases 
brakes  are  provided,  consisting  usually  of  steel  bands  lined  with 
hardwood  blocks  which  are  operated  by  levers  or  screws,  and  if 
the  surplus  power  developed  is  not  great,  such  brakes  are  sufficient 
to  control  the  speed.  In  cases  where  the  surplus  power  exceeds 
15  to  20  H.  P.,  it  is  not  easy  to  control  the  speed  by  brake  bands 
alone,  and  in  such  cases  hydraulic  speed  controllers  of  our   own 


m 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


manufacture    are    furnished     (illustrated  in   Fig.   31),   which   are 
specially  designed  for  automatically  regulating  the  speed. 

The  machine  consists  essentially  of  a  closed  tank  or  receptacle 
for  a  specially  prepared  liquid;  a  valve,  the  position  of  which  is 
determined  by  a  governor :  and  a  pump,  the  action  of  which  causes 
the  liquid  to  circulate  through  the  valve,  the  same  liquid  being 
used  continuously.  The  operation  is  as  follows :  As  the  tramway 
increases  its  speed  the  pump  runs  faster,  the  governor  decreases 
the  aperture  of  the  valve  port,  which  increases  the  pressure  in  the 


Fig.  31.     Hydraulic  Speed  Controller. 


pump  chamber,  adding  to  the  work  of  the  pump,  thus  absorbing 
the  surplus  energ}'  and  holding  the  line  at  its  normal  speed.  If 
the  tramway  should  run  too  slow,  the  governor  opens  the  valve 
wider,  thus  lessening  the  pressure  in  the  pump  chamber  and  the 
work  of  the  pump,  relieving  the  tramway  of  a  certain  load,  and 
allowing  it  to  regain  its  normal  speed.  If  the  liquid  becomes  too 
hot,  it  may  be  cooled  by  running  water  through  a  coil  of  pipe  in 
the  tank,  provided  for  that  purpose. 

The  general  superintendent  of  a  line  controlled  by  such  a  machine, 
writes  as  follows : 

"The  controller,  of  50  H.  P.  size,  was  put  into  use  November  8,  1904,  and 
within  two  hours  of  the  time  it  was  ready  to  turn  over  it  took  entire  con- 
trol of  the  line,  and  from  that  time  until  now,  excepting  during  the  five 
months  that  our  mill  was  shut  down,  pending  the  completion  of  certain 
changes,  it  has  operated  to  our  very  great  satisfaction.  Our  tramway,  as 
you  know,  was  one  of  the  most  difficult  to  control  of  all  the  tramways  in 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramways  37 

the  West  Built  as  it  is,  crossing  high  ridges  and  going  down  into  the  gulch 
at  the  Curve  Station,  high  bursts  of  speed  were  unavoidable  with  the  old 
hand  brakes.  The  result  was  constant  breakage  of  standing  cable  and 
numerous  runaway  buckets.  The  controller  has  changed  this  absolutely, 
and  the  speed  control  is  remarkable.  Neither  in  riding  the  line  nor  in 
watching  it  is  any  appreciable  change  of  speed  noticeable,  and  it  will  run 
for  hours  at  a  time  delivering  exactly  the  rated  number  of  buckets.  This 
improved  condition  has  reacted  most  strongly  to  lengthen  the  life  of  both 
the  traction  and  standing  cables.  The  former  is  in  perfect  condition,  and 
the  repair  item  on  the  latter  has  been  reduced  by  75  per  cent.  The  labor 
of  one  man  on  each  shift  is  saved.  Therefore,  taking  all  these  points  into 
consideration,  it  affords  us  pleasure  to  give  this  machine  our  heartiest 
endorsement." 

The  siirpkis  power  may  often  be  utilized  for  operating  crushers 
or  other  machinery,  or  for  transporting  back  freight.  In  such 
cases,  however,  owing  to  the  variable  amount  of  power  required, 
it  is  not  well  to  depend  solely  upon  the  surplus  power  developed  by 
the  tramway.  If  this  surplus  power  is  always  in  excess  of  the 
power  required  to  run  the  machinery,  or  raise  the  back  freight,  as 
the  case  may  be,  a  speed  controller  such  as  we  have  described 
should  be  attached  to  the  operating  mechanism,  as  otherwise  it 
would  be  dififictilt  to  maintain  a  uniform  speed,  and  the  operation 
would  be  unsatisfactory.  If  the  power  required  will  exceed  the 
surplus  power  developed  by  the  tramway,  always  or  even  occasion- 
ally, an  engine  or  motor  of  some  kind  with  a  suitable  governor 
should  be  provided  to  supply  the  deficiency  in  power  or  absorb  the 
excess,  and  serves  as  a  controller  to  maintain  a  imiform  speed. 

Automatic  Loaders. — Requests  are  frequently  received  to  quote 
prices  on  aerial  tramways  equipped  with  automatic  loaders,  under 
a  misapprehension  that  they  are  economical  of  labor.  Such  devices 
are  necessary  on  lines  with  carriers  attached  permanently  to  the 
traction  rope  by  means  of  clips,  in  order  that  the  buckets  may  be 
loaded  while  in  motion,  and  are  the  exigency  of  a  condition,  and 
not  a  means  introduced  to  save  operating  expense.  Lines  equipped 
with  automatic  loaders  have  to  be  run  at  slow  speed,  or  at  least  the 
speed  has  to  be  slackened  while  the  buckets  are  being  loaded,  and 
in  some  instances  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  stop  the  line 
altogether  at  such  times.  Such  a  device  can  only  be  used  on  lines 
of  relatively  small  capacity.  A  man  is  invariably  required  to  attend 
to  the  brake  or  driving  machinery,  and  the  same  man  has  also  to 
attend  to  filling  the  automatic  loading  chute  from  the  main  bin, 
to  say  nothing  of  having  to  clean  up  the  material  spilled,  whereas 
in  our  design,  the  carrier  with  empty  bucket  automatically  detaches 
itself  from  the  traction  rope  upon  entering  the  terminal,  and  by  its 
own  momentum  runs  to  the  loading  point.  Here  the  operator  has 
only  to  raise  the  gate  of  the  loading  chute,  keeping  it  open  for  a 


38 


American  S<eel  Sc  Wire  Company 


Length  of  line,  3,'*o  feet. 


Hourly  capacity,  lo  tons. 


Loading  Terminal,  showing  Carriers  with  Underhung  Grips,  one  in  posi- 
tion for  attaching,   and   the  other  about  to   be   detached  from  the 
Traction  Rope.    Bagdad  Chase  Gold  Mining  Co.,  Atlanta,  Idaho. 


Length  of  line, 


Hourly  capacity,  30  tons. 


Loading  Terminal,  showing  Carrier  with  Overhead  Grip  about  to  be 

attached  to  the  Traction  Rope.      St.  Louis,  Rocky  ^fountain  & 

Pacific  Co.,  Koehler,  New  Mexico. 


Trentoii-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram-wavs 


39 


few  seconds  until  the  bucket  is  full,  and  then  quickly  closing  the 
gate,  he  pushes  the  carrier  along  the  shunt  rail  into  the  mechanical 
attacher,  shown  in  Fig.  9,  which  grips  it  again  to  the  traction  rope. 
This  whole  operation  can  be  effected  in  less  time  than  is  required 
with  an  automatic  loader,  it  does  not  require  any  more  labor,  and 
the  line  can  be  run  at  a  constant  speed,  dou1)le  that  of  a  line  with 
automatic  loader,  thus  proportionately  reducing  the  number  of  car- 


Fig.  32.     Transferring  Buckets  to  and  from  Surface  Cars  by  Mechanism. 

riers  and  the  wear  and  tear.  There  is  nothing  to  get  out  of  order, 
and  no  material  to  be  cleaned  up  at  intervals  from  the  floor  of  the 
loading  station.  Our  method  of  operating  furthermore  admits  of 
loading  from,  or  discharging  into,  a  number  of  bins,  which  is  often 
desirable,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  ores  that  have  to  be  graded, 
or  where  the  output  of  several  mines  has  to  be  kept  separate.  It 
also  admits  of  the  transportation  of  back  freight,  such  as  coal  for 
operating,  timber  and  supplies,  which  cannot  be  done  on  lines  with 
automatic  loaders  without  stopping  the  line. 


40 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Lengtli  oi  line,  12,270  feet. 


Hourly  capacity,  '■^,  tons. 


Line  of  Yampa  Smelting  Co.,  Bingham,  Utah,  showing  portion  of 
750-foot  span,  and  90-foot  support. 


Length  of  line,  12,650  feet.  Hourly  capacity,  40  tons. 

Along  the  line  of  the  Gold  Prince  Tramway,  Animas  Forks,  Col. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramways 


41 


Transfer  of  Buckets  to  and  from  Surface  Cars. — Ordinarily 
the  buckets  are  loaded  from  bins  by  means  of  chutes,  such  as 
shown  in  the  view  of  the  loading  station  on  page  12.  In  the  case, 
however,  of  materials  that  will  riot  readily  flow  through  a  chute, 
such  as  rock  in  large  lumps,  sticky  clay,  or  materials  like  soft  coal 
that  would  suffer  from  breakage  if  handled  in  this  way,  the  buckets, 
if  desired,  may  be  transferred  to  surface  cars,  conveyed  directly 
to  the  working  faces  of  the  quarry  or  mine,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
after  loading,  returned  to  the  tramway  station,  transferred  back  to 
the  carrier  hangers,  and  thus  without  rehandling  of  the  material 
despatched  over  the  line. 

The  transferring  of  the  buckets  may  be  effected  by  mechanical 
means,  as  illustrated  in  Fig.  32,  or  it  may  be  done  without  such 
apparatus,  by  laying  the  surface  track  in  a  circuit  under  the  station 
shunt  rails  upon  a  rising  inclination  on  one  side,  just  sufficient  to 
lift  the  empty  buckets  from  the  hangers  as  the  carriers  and  surface 
cars  are  moved  along  together,  and  upon  a  like  falling  inclination 

on  the  opposite  side, 
whereby  the  loaded 
buckets  in  a  similar  man- 
ner are  dropped  into  the 
hangers,  as  illustrated  in 
Fig.  33.  The  latter 
method  of  operating  re- 
cjuires  more  space,  and 
on  this  account  is  not 
always  practicable,  but  it 
has  been  found  quite 
as  satisfactory  a  way  of 
working. 

Dock  Hoists. — Tren- 
ton-Bleichert  tramways 
are  used  advantageously 
in  many  places  for  con- 
veying materials  from 
vessels  or  boats  alongside 
docks,  to  warehouses  or 
factories,  and  in  such 
cases  it  is  generally  found 
most  convenient  to  use  hoists  operated  by  separate  power  for  taking 
the  materials  out  of  the  holds  of  the  vessels,  since  the  work  of  a  dock 
hoist  is  more  or  less  intermittent.    Conditions  sometimes  occur,  how- 


Fig.  33-    Transferring  Buckets  to  and  from 
Surface  Cars  by  Inclined  Tracks. 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Length  of  line,  525  feet. 


Hourly  capacity,  30  tons. 


Dock  Hoi-st  and  Loading  Terminal.      American  Agricultural 
Chemical  Co.,  Searsport,  Maine. 


Length  of  line,   1,050  feet. 


Hourly  capacity,  30  tons. 


Dock  Hoist  and  Loading  Terminal,  Maine  Insane  Hospital, 
Augusta,  Maine. 


Trentoii-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram-wavs 


43 


ever,  where  it  may  be  practicable  to  operate  both  hoist  and  tramway 
from  the  same  power.  Coal,  ore,  and  like  materials  are  handled  in 
this  way  by  elevating  them  to  bins  from  which  the  tramway  buckets 
are  loaded  by  chutes  in  the  usual  way.  Two  views  of  such  stations 
are  shown  on  page  42. 

It  is  generally  desired  in  such  cases  to  unload  quickly,  and  bins 
of  ample  size  therefore  should  be  provided,  with  hoists  exceeding  the 
capacities  of  the  tramways,  so  that  the  work  of  the  latter  may  be 
regular  and  not  intermittent. 

Elevators,  Scales  and  Counters. — The  carriers,  if  desired,  may 
be  raised  or  lowered  at  any  terminal  or  intermediate  station  by 
means  of  elevators  or  hoists  specially  designed  for  the  purpose. 
If  the  loaded  carriers  are  raised,  such  elevators  are  operated  in  the 
usual  way  by  belts  or  a  suitable  motor.  If,  however,  the  loaded 
carriers  are  lowered,  it  is  customary  in  this  case  to  use  two  cages, 
so  that  the  power  developed  by  the  gravity  of  the  loaded  carrier 
may  be  used  to  raise  the  empty  carrier,  the  motion  of  the  cages 
being  controlled  by  means  of  brakes. 

The  cage  of  such  a  hoist  in  either  case  is  usually  provided  with 

a  short  section  of  rail  having  a  slight 
depression  cut  in  the  upper  edge,  just 
long  enough  to  accommodate  the  car- 
riage, and  serving  to  hold  it  in  place 
while  raising  or  lowering. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  desired  eleva- 
tion, as,  for  instance,  in  passing  from 
one  floor  to  another  in  a  warehouse  or 
factory,  the  carriers,  if  necessary,  can 
be    transferred    to   lines   of   overhead 
rails,    the   same   as   the    station   shunt 
rails,  and  thus  conveyed  to  the  desired 
points  of  loading  or  discliarge  at  the 
various  elevations. 
Scales  are  also  furnished  of  special  design,  illustrated  in  Fig.  34, 
for  weighing  the  loaded  receptacles,  or  coimters,  which  will  auto- 
matically register  the  number  transported. 


Fig.  34.     Trenton-Bleichert 
Tramway  Scale. 


44  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Advantages   of  the  Trenton-Bleieliert 
System 

1.  It  is  adapted  to  the  heaviest  traffic.  Capacities  up  to  200  tons 
per  hour  can  be  transported,  which  is  not  possible  with  any  other 
system  of  aerial  tramway. 

2.  The  carriers  are  moved  under  ordinary  conditio)is  at  speeds 
varying  from  five  to  six  miles  per  hour.  This  is  about  double  the 
speed  possible  with  a  single-rope  line,  or  any  kind  of  aerial  tram- 
way with  carriers  permanently  attached  to  the  traction  rope,  or 
with  receptacles  that  have  to  be  loaded  in  motion.     It  follows  that 

3.  The  number  of  carriers  required  for  a  given  service  is  less 
than  zi'ith  other  lines. 

4.  The  loading  and  discharge  of  the  receptacles  at  either  terminal 
or  intermediate  station  can  be  effected  at  any  point  or  any  number 
of  points.  This  is  not  practicable  with  other  lines  having  carriers 
permanently  attached  to  the  traction  rope  or  receptacles  that  have 
to  be  loaded  in  motion. 

5.  The  steepest  grades  can  be  surmounted  without  difficulty. 

6.  Less  poii'er  is  required,  or  more  developed,  as  the  case  may 
be,  than  zi'ith  any  other  system.  This  is  due  to  the  smooth  surface 
of  the  track  cables,  and  their  greater  strength  than  ordinary  cables 
of  the  same  size,  admitting  of  tensions  such  as  to  make  the  path  of 
the  carriers  more  nearly  along  a  direct  line  between  the  terminals 
than  is  practicable  with  other  lines  using  ordinary  cables. 

7.  The  carriers,  if  necessary,  can  be  run  around  angles  zcithout 
requiring  the  services  oj  an  attendant.     (See  page  34.) 

8.  The  carriers  can  also  be  run  about  either  terminal,  ivhcre  no 
loading  or  discharge  of  the  receptacles  occurs,  zcithout  requiring 
the  services  of  an  attendant. 

9.  Lozk.'  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance.  The  economy  of 
a  Trenton-Bleichert  tramway  is  apparent  in  the  longer  life  of  track 
cables,  and  the  less  wear  and  tear  of  the  operating  parts,  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  workmanship  is  first-class  in  every  respect.  Only 
the  best  materials  are  used  in  the  construction  of  the  various  parts, 
which  are  made  to  standard  gauges,  so  that  renewals  or  repairs 
can  be  made  promptly  and  cheaply. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramways  45 

Cost  of  Operation  and  Maintenance 

THE  following  extracts  from  testimon  al  letters  will  best  con- 
vey some  idea  of  what  it  costs  to  operate  and  maintain  a 
Trenton-Bleichert  tramway: 
From  The  Solvay  Process  Co.,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. : 

"With  reference  to  the  statement  of  the  cost  of  operating  as  determined 
from  actual  records,  we  have  to  say  that  with  greater  traffic,  we  are  enabled 
to  considerably  reduce  the  expense,  and  while  we  have  not  kept  the  accounts 
separate  for  the  main  line,  we  can  say  that  the  cost,  including  general 
expenses  and  taxes  for  the  main  line  (three  and  one-quarter  miles  long), 
and  the  quarry  lines  (aggregating  one  and  one-quarter  miles  in  length),  at 
which  we  can  transport  the  stone,  is  approximately  the  following : 

No.    of   buckets    per    month 1 10,000 

Gross  tons  per   month 55,ooo 

Cost  per  bucket,    holding    one-half    ton $0.04 

Cost  per  gross  ton $0.09 

Cost  per  net   ton $0.08 

Cost  per  ton — mile     $0.02 

"The  cost  of  transportation  over  the  short  branch  lines  is  less  than  3  cents 
per  bucket,  which,  however,  is  more  than  2  cents  per  mile  because  the  main 
expense  is  at  the  terminals.  In  the  main  line  costs,  about  one-quarter  has 
to  be  transferred  from  the  pockets  to  the  line.  These  expenses  do  not  include 
the  cost  of  transferring  the  buckets  from  the  cars  to  the  rails,  but  includes 
only  the  cost  of  despatching  and  receiving  the  buckets." 

From  The  Eureka  Slate  Co.,  Slatington,  Cal. : 

"The  tramway  is  operated  directly  by  water  power,  requiring  a  maximum 
of  about  20  H.  P.  The  cost  of  transportation  when  the  tramway  is 
run  to  full  capacity  is  about  five  cents  per  square  (about  700  lbs.).  The 
tramway  has  been  in  constant  operation  for  a  little  more  than  four  years. 
It  has  never  been  out  of  commission,  has  cost  not  to  exceed  $25  per  year  for 
maintenance,  and  I  am  pleased  to  advise  you  that  it  is  one  of  the  most 
satisfactory  pieces  of  machinery  that  it  has  ever  been  my  pleasure  to  install." 

The  length  of  this  line  is  13.300  feet,  and  the  capacity  300  squares 

of  slate  in  nine  hom's. 

From  The  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Co.,  Denver,  Col. : 

"Replying  to  yours  of  the  28th  in  regard  to  the  operation  of  the  tramway  at 
Sopris.  the  amount  of  material  handled  on  this  line  is  approximately  100 
tons  per  day,  and  the  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance  for  the  past  year 
has  been  between  three  and  four  cents  per  ton  of  material  handled.  For  the 
past  two  years  it  has  cost  little  or  nothing  for  repairs  and  has  been  very 
satisfactory  in  operation." 

This  line  is  2,370  feet  long,  and  is  used  for  disposing  of  waste 
from  a  coal  washery.  Self-dumping  buckets  are  used,  and  the 
capacity  is  20  tons  per  hour. 

From    The    Cia.    Alanufacturera    de    Ladrillos    Areniscos,    Coah, 
Mexico : 

"The  overhead  tram  has  given  excellent  results,  handling  500  tons  of  sand 
every  nine  hours  with  the  greatest  facility,  at  a  cost  of  four  cents  U.  S.  cur- 
rency per  ton,  and  considering  the  difficult  manual  labor  in  filling  the  cars 
from  the  river  bottom,  I  think  that  the  cost  is  very  reasonable." 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


This  line  is  1,950  feet  long,  and  has  a  capacity  of  223^  tons  hourly. 

From  The  Alond  Xickel  Co.,  Ltd..  A'ictoria  ^Mines,  Ontario,  Canada: 

"Regarding  the  tramway  built  by  you  which  we  have  operated,  would  say 
that  it  is  satisfactory  in  every  way  and  the  repairs  have  been  very  light.  The 
ropes  are  still  in  good  condition  and  show  very  little  sign  of  wear.  The  cost 
of  operation  has  been  about  six  cents  per  ton  mile  on  a  basis  of  150  tons  per 
day,  including  loading  and  unloading." 

This  line  is  11,400  feet  long,  and  is  used  for  transporting  ore.  The 
capacity  is  25  tons  per  hour. 

From  The  Curwensville  Fire  Brick  Co.,  Bolivar,  Pa. : 

"We  are  pleased  to  state  that  the  tramway  you  erected  at  our  plant  in  1903 
has  been  in  successful  operation  ever  since  that  time  without  interruption 
and  we  have  experienced  no  trouble  whatever  with  it,  but  have  found  it 
entirely  satisfactory  in  every  respect.  The  only  expense  that  has  been  neces- 
sary in  maintaining  it  is  the  price  of  the  oil  that  we  have  used  on  the  cables, 
and  the  only  cost  of  operation  is  the  expense  of  a  man  at  each  terminal. 

"We  may  add  that  we  are  transporting  at  the  present  time  about  fifty  tons 
of  clay  per  day  at  an  actual  cost  of  $3.50  to  $4  per  day,  while  previously  we 
were  obliged  to  haul  our  clay  on  wagons  at  a  cost  of  45  cents  per  ton,  which 
would  represent  $22.50  for  the  quantity  we  are  now  using,  or  a  saving  to  us 
at  the  present  rate  of  operation  of  $15  to  $20  per  day.  Of  course,  during  a 
good  part  of  the  time  that  we  have  had  this  in  operation  we  have  only  han- 
dled about  one-half  the  material  we  are  now  transporting." 

This  line  is  2,337  feet  long,  and  the  capacity  20  tons  per  hour. 

From  The  Catskill  Cement  Co.,  Smith's  Landing,  N.  Y. : 

"Replying  to  your  favor  of  March  i6th,  we  beg  to  say  that  our  experience 
with  your  tramway  has  been  very  satisfactory.  It  has  proved  to  be  a  very 
efficient  and  economical  means  of  transportation,  and  cost  of  repairs  has  been 
comparatively  small  taking  all  things  into  consideration.  This  tramway  has 
been  in  operation  now  nearly  six  years,  the  last  four  years  of  which  it  has 
been  carrying  about  300  tons  of  stone  per  day  of  ten  hours." 

This  line  is  4,170  feet  long,  and  capacity  20  tons  hourly  of  stone. 

From  The  Cayuga  Lake  Cement  Co.,  Ithaca,  X.  Y. : 

"Replying  to  your  chief  engineer's  request  regarding  the  success  which  we 
are  having  with  the  tramway  which  you  installed  for  us  in  igoi,  would  state 
that  the  best  evidence  we  can  give  possibly  is  to  give  you  the  expense  for  re- 
pairs during  the  past  year,  owing  to  the  fact  that  we  keep  an  account  of  each 
department  in  our  works  for  all  repairs  made  during  the  year,  and  we  find 
that  the  tramway  in  question  has  carried  on  an  average  about  350  tons  daily 
and  the  total  cost  for  repairs  on  the  tramway  has  been  $34.57  for  the  past  year. 

"We  wish  to  further  state  that  the  tramway  is  a  perfect  success,  and  we 
think  it  is  the  finest  system  of  any  in  use." 

This  line  is  2,340  feet  long,  and  capacity  20  tons  hourly  of  stone. 
From  The  A'ermont  Marble  Co.,  Proctor,  Vt. : 

"In  reply  to  your  letter  of  recent  date,  will  say  that  in  1894  ^ve  installed  the 
first  tramway  furnished  by  your  people,  which  was  about  1,600  feet  in  length. 
We  operated  this  tramway  continuously  for  about  eight  hours  a  day  until 
1900,  then  we  extended  the  line  for  about  two  miles,  using  all  of  the  ropes 
and  apparatus  that  we  installed  originally  in  1894.  Since  installing  the  longer 
line,  we  have  been  operating  it  continuously  for  ten  hours  a  day,  and  about 
half  the  time  have  been  running  it  half  the  night.     This  makes  more  than 


Treiiton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram^vavs  47 


twelve  years  of  continuous  day  service,  and  it  was  not  until  last  year  that  we 
began  to  replace  the  standing  ropes.  During  this  time  we  have  put  in  one 
new  transmission  (traction)  rope.  We  now  have  in  operation  a  large  part 
of  the  apparatus  that  was  originally  installed  in  1894.  It  seems  impossible 
that  any  machine  could  do  better  work  or  give  better  satisfaction  than  this 
has  done." 

This  line  is  11,000  feet  long,  and  capacity  15  tons  hourly  of  sand. 

From  The  Kittanning  Coal  &  Coke  Co.,  Kittanning,  Pa. : 

"We  have  gotten  from  you  all  the  supplies  necessary  to  keep  this  tramway 
m  order,  and  I  think  your  books  will  scarcely  show  more  than  $50  or  $60 
expenses  on  the  entire  system  since  w^e  first  installed  it. 

"There  is  no  question  in  our  mind  whatsoever  that  your  tramway  will  take 
all  the  coal  we  can  dump  into  the  loading  bunk.  We  have  moved  over  400 
tons  of  coal  a  day  and  we  average  likely  300  tons  daily,  and  I  am  certain 
that  the  system  is  not  in  operation  more  than  50  per  cent,  of  the  time. 

"As  a  means  of  transportation,  we  consider  it  perfect.  It  costs  us  about 
$15  daily  to  run  it,  and,  of  course,  the  cost  of  the  coal  per  ton  depends  entirely 
upon  the  amount  of  coal  moved.  It  has  averaged,  I  presume,  five  cents  per 
ton,  which  seems  high  compared  with  loading  directly  from  the  mines  onto 
the  cars,  bi:t  as  we  transport  our  coal  almost  a  mile,  we  consider  the  cost 
very  reasonable." 

This  line  is  4,140  feet  long. 

From  Washington  Portland  Cement  Co.,  Concrete,  Wash.: 

"The  costs  ]jer  ton  for  ti-ansporting  material  over  our  tramway  are  as  follows- 

During  year  1909,    78,734  tons  carried  (7()  .03991  cent  per  ton. 

During  year  1910,    79,767  tons  carried  («'  .02939  cent  per  ton. 

During  year  191 1,  111,097  tons  carried  C"  .03602  cent  per  ton. 

During  year  1912,  118,396  tons  carried  ((J>  .06385  cent  per  ton. 

During  year  1913,  172,413  tons  carried  C<J'  .02877  cent  per  ton. 
"The  costs  for  the  first  si.x  months  in  1912  were  high,  due  to  the  purchase  of 
new  track  cables  and  additional  rolling  stock,  required  to  increase  the  capacity 
of  the  line." 

This  tramway  is  3,750  feet  long,  with  an  hourly  capacity  of  60 
tons  of  limestone.     Initial  installation  was  for  45  tons  per  hour. 

From  Tintic  Mining  and  Development  Co.,  Bingham: 

"We  have  operated  a  Trenton-Bleichert  Tramway,  built  by  the  Trenton  Iron 
Works,  for  the  last  six  years.  It  was  running  continuously  for  five  years.  The 
other  year  we  were  closed  down  on  account  of  strikes. 

"We  have  transported  on  an  average  of  600  tons  per  day  of  nine  hours,  a  dis- 
tance of  2)4  miles,  at  a  cost  of  8^  cents  per  ton. 

"The  upkeep  has  been  very  slight  and  the  tram  has  given  perfect  satisfaction, 
and  is  still  running  smoothly." 


48  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Reversible  Aerial  Tramways 

LINES  of  comparatively  short  length  or  of  light  capacity  are 
often  operated  most  advantageously  by  reversing  the  motion 
of  the  traction  rope  at  each  trip  of  the  carriers,  and  are  known  as 
reversible  aerial  tramways.  We  oiTer  these  where  a  cheap  equip- 
ment is  desired,  and  where  the  conditions  are  adapted  to  such  a  line, 
it  maybe  operated  quite  as  satisfactorily  as  aTrenton-Bleichert  tram- 
way. Lines  of  this  kind  are  built  with  a  pair  of  carriers,  one  on  each  of 
two  parallel  track  cables,  or  with  one  carrier  on  a  single  track  cable, 
and  are  designated  respectively  as  double-cable  and  single-cable 
reversible  tramways. 

The  carriers  are  usually  provided  with  self-dumping  receptacles, 
and  loads  are  carried  up  to  a  ton  in  weight.  Hand-dumping  recep- 
tacles, however,  are  sometimes  used,  especially  in  cases  where  the 
carriers  have  to  be  detached  from  the  traction  rope  at  either  or  both 
of  the  terminal  stations,  and  are  conveyed  to  the  points  of  loading 
and  discharge  by  means  of  shunt  rails.  A  sufificient  number  of  car- 
riers are  provided  with  such  lines,  so  that  some  may  be  loading  or 
discharging  while  others  are  in  transit.  Since  the  lines  are  stopped 
at  each  trip  of  the  carriers,  the  average  speed  may  be  considerably 
beyond  what  is  practicable  with  a  Trenton- Bleichert  tramway. 
The  usual  speed  is  about  600  feet  per  minute,  but  in  cases  where 
there  are  no  intervening  supports,  speeds  are  attained  as  high  as 
1,000  feet  per  minute.  Where  lines  are  run  at  these  very  high  speeds, 
however,  the  wear  of  the  track  cables  and  carriage  wheels  is  pro- 
portionately greater,  and  these  cannot,  therefore,  be  expected  to 
last  as  long  as  those  in  lines  running  at  more  moderate  speeds. 

The  capacity  of  a  reversible  aerial  tramway,  either  of  the  double- 
cable  or  single-cable  type,  is  directly  proportional  to  the  load  and 
inversely  proportional  to  the  distance,  and  will  rarely  exceed  25 
tons  per  hour.  Such  a  line  is  generally  designed  at  the  outset  for  its 
maximum  capacity,  and  is  not,  therefore,  recommended  in  cases 
where  a  subsequent  increase  in  the  capacity  is  contemplated. 

Double-Cable  Reversible  Tramw^ws. — Reversible  aerial  tram- 
ways with  two  parallel  track  cables,  as  ordinarily  constructed  are 
equipped  with  two  carriers,  one  loaded  and  one  empty,  which  travel 
alternately  in  opposite  directions,  and  are  sometimes  known  as 
"two-bucket"  or  "twin-cable"  tramways. 

These  lines  may  be  operated  by  power  or  by  gravity,  according  to 
the  relative  elevations  of  the  terminal  stations.  Lines  operated  by 
gravity  are  commonly  known  throughout  the  western  states  as 
"jig-back"  tramways. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramways 


49 


50  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

On  the  preceding  page  is  illustrated  in  detail  the  general  features 
of  such  a  line  equipped  with  self-dumping  and  self-righting  buckets. 
(See  Fig.  21,  page  21.)  The  two  carriages  each  travel  on  parallel 
steel  track  cables  of  the  locked-coil  or  smooth-coil  construc- 
tions, and  are  attached  to  a  light  traction  rope,  usually  ^^-inch 
diameter,  the  movement  of  which  is  controlled  by  brakes  at  the  upper 
terminal  station. 

A  view  is  shown  on  page  51  of  the  discharge  terminal  of  such  a 
line,  built  for  The  Ross  Mining  and  Milling  Co.,  Silverton,  Col.  The 
line  is  1,400  feet  long,  with  a  fall  of  524  feet,  and  has  a  capacity  of 
10  tons  per  hour.  The  track  cables  are  1^4^ -inch  diameter,  of  the 
locked-coil  construction  (see  Fig.  i,  page  7),  and  the  traction 
rope  is  ^-inch  diameter.  The  buckets  are  self-dumping,  but  not 
self-righting  like  those  illustrated  in  Figs.  13  and  14,  page  19. 

A  similar  line  of  5  tons  hourly  capacity  built  for  the  Old  Hundred 
Mining  Co.,  Howardsville,  Col.,  is  1,850  feet  long  with  a  fall  of  1,050 
feet,  and  another  line  operated  in  conjunction  with  this  is  760  feet 
long  with  a  fall  of  515  feet;  these  two  lines  serving  as  feeders  to  a 
Trenton- Bleichert  trainway  of  25  tons  hourly  capacity,  1,610  feet 
in  length. 

A  line  built  for  Thoinas  &  Spillane,  San  Luis,  Potosi,  Mexico,  82,:; 
feet  long  and  425  feet  fall,  is  equipped  with  self-dumping  and  self- 
righting  receptacles  specially  designed  for  transporting  railroad  ties. 

]\lany  other  lines  have  been  built,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
one  for  the  Pulaski  Iron  Co.,  near  Buchanan.  A'a.,  which  is  960  feet 
long  with  a  fall  of  494  feet. 

A  line  operated  by  power,  built  for  the  Victor  Fuel  Co.,  Hastings, 
Col.,  is  used  for  disposing  of  refuse  rock  from  a  coal  washery.  The 
line  is  1,850  feet  long  with  a  rise  of  57  feet,  and  has  a  capacity  of 
15  tons  per  hour. 

Single-Cable  Reversible  Tramways. — Reversible  tramways  with 
a  single-track  cable  are  applicable  generally  to  lines  operated  by 
power,  in  which  one  carrier  traveling  back  and  forth,  is  sufficient  to 
carry  the  desired  capacity. 

The  receptacles  are  designed  to  suit  the  material  to  be  carried,  and 
may  be  self -dumping  or  not,  according  to  the  conditions  of  loading 
and  discharge. 

The  carriers  may  also  be  detached  at  either  tenninal  if  desired,  in 
order  to  reach  points  of  loading  or  discharge  not  directly  accessible 
by  the  cable  line.  The  requisite  number  of  carriers  are  provided  in 
such  cases,  so  that  as  one  is  in  transit  the  others  may  be  loading  or 
dumping.  The  carriers  are  conveyed  to  the  points  of  loading  or 
discharge,  as  the  case  may  be,  by  means  of  shunt  rails  as  in  other 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  TramAvavs 


51 


Length  of  line,   ij^cm  feet. 


Hourly  capacity,   lo  tons. 


Double-Cable  Reversible  Tramway  of  The  Ross  Mining  and 
Milling  Co.,   Silverton,   Col.     View  of  Discharge  Terminal. 


aerial  tramways,  and  switches  are  provided  so  that  the  carrie  r  coming 
in  may  pass  the  one  going'  out. 

The  receptacles  or  buckets  may  also  be  transferred  to  and  from 
surface  cars  if  desired,  where  it  is  not  practicable  to  reach  the 
points  of  loading  or  discharge  by  means  of  shunt  rails,  on  account 
of  the  supporting  structures  which  would  be  cumbersome,  or  liable 
to  injur}^  from  blasts,  as,  for  instance,  in  quarry  work. 

On  page  52  is  illustrated  in  detail  a  line  of  this  kind  built  many 
years  ago  for  the  St.  Bernard  Coal  Co.,  at  Earlington,  Ky.,  for 
carrying  refuse  from  their  coal  washer,  which  is  still  in  operation. 

A  single  bucket  holding  half  a  ton,  suspended  from  a  carriage 
running  on  a  i  J  2-inch  track  cable  of  the  smooth-coil  construction 
(see  Fig.  4,  page  8),  is  moved  by  a  7-16-inch  endless  traction  rope 
driven  by  a  small  reversing  engine.     Trippers  clamped  to  the  track 


52 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Trentoii-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram-ways  53 

cable  at  the  dumping  points  disengage  a  latch  on  the  bucket  hanger, 
releasing  the  bucket,  which  is  so  balanced  as  to  discharge  auto- 
matically. The  construction  of  the  latch  in  this  particular  case  is 
such  that  the  loaded  bucket  passes  the  trippers  going  out  without 
lifting  the  latch.  In  coming  back,  however,  the  latch  is  disengaged 
and  the  bucket  dumps,  thus  permitting  of  the  use  of  a  number  of 
trippers,  and  the  discharge  of  the  bucket  at  various  points  without 
having  to  shift  any  of  the  trippers.     One  man  operates  the  line. 

The  carrier  is  permanently  attached  to  the  traction  rope,  and  the 
bucket  after  dumping,  returns  to  the  loading  terminal  upside  down, 
which  gives  it  a  chance  to  thoroughly  clear  itself  of  the  refuse 
material  before  reloading. 

The  line  at  Earlington  is  about  600  feet  long  and  has  a  capacity 
of  10  tons  per  hour.  The  ground  immediately  under  the  line  having 
been  filled  in,  the  buckets  are  now  discharged  into  side-dump  cars, 
and  the  material  in  this  way  is  conveyed  by  means  of  portable 
tracks  to  the  dump  banks  on  either  side  of  the  cable  line,  and  a 
large  area  of  ground  is  thus  covered. 

Materials  may  be  transported  by  such  lines  in  either  direction, 
and  where  the  power  can  be  taken  from  some  convenient  shaft, 
the  traction  rope  may  be  operated  from  either  end  by  double- friction 
clutch  pulleys,  driven  by  straight  and  crossed  belts. 

The  view  on  page  54  shows  a  line  of  this  kind  built  for  the 
Philadelphia  &  Reading  Coal  &  Iron  Co.  for  conveying  ashes 
from  the  boiler  house  at  the  West  Shenandoah  Colliery  to  the  dump, 
and  aft'ords  a  good  illustration  of  what  can  be  done  with  such  a 
line — the  pile  of  ashes  in  the  picture  representing  the  accumulation 
of  four  years. 

This  line  is  1,485  feet  long,  and  has  a  capacity  of  7  tons  per 
hour.  The  carriers,  three  in  number,  are  provided  with  overhead 
grips,  and  the  buckets,  35  cubic  feet  capacity,  hold  each  1,400 
pounds  of  ashes.  A  single  line  of  shunt  rail  connects  the  boiler 
house  with  the  terminal  station,  where  the  carriers  pass  each  other 
by  means  of  an  automatic  switch.  The  carriers  are  illustrated  in 
Figs.  13  and  14,  page  19,  the  former  showing  a  loaded  carrier 
about  to  be  attached  to  the  traction  rope,  and  the  latter  showing  an 
empty  carrier  passing  a  support  on  the  return  trip.  In  Fig.  13 
is  also  shown  the  mechanism  for  closing  the  jaws  of  the  grip  on 
the  traction  rope  in  dispatching  a  carrier,  and  also  the  inclined  plate 
for  releasing  the  grip  when  the  empty  carrier  returns,  known  re- 
spectively as  the  attacher  and  detacher,  which  are  placed  close 
together. 


54 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


• 


i2r 


^1 


Trentoii-Bleichert   Aerial  Tram-wavs 


The  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Coal  &  Iron  Co.  now  have  four  of 
our  tramways  operating  as  shown  on  opposite  page. 

Among  other  lines  of  this  description  may  be  mentioned  one  600 
feet  long  built  for  the  Megargee  Paper  Mills,  Modena,  Pa.,  which 
serves  to  carry  paper  and  the  various  materials  used  in  its 
manufacture. 

A  line  800  feet  long,  built  for  the  Peart,  Nields  &  McCormick 
Co.,  of  Belfield,  Va.,  is  used  for  carrying  sawmill  refuse. 

Aline  1,060  feet  long,  of  7>4  tons  hourly  capacity,  built  for 
B.  Laughon,  of  Pulaski,  Va.,  is  used  for  conveying  sand  from  an 
island  in  a  river  to  railroad  cars. 

.'/A  line  800  feet  long,  built  for  the  New  York  Juvenile  Asylum, 
Chauncey,  N.  Y.,  is  used  for  conveying  coal;  and  a  line  135  feet 
long,  built  for  the  Hamilton  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Lowell,  Mass., 
is  used  for  conveying  rolls  of  cloth. 

A  line  640  feet  long  built  for  the  Nevada  United  Mines  Co.,  Ely, 
Nev.,  used  to  carry  ore  at  the  rate  of  30  tons  hourly. 

A  Hne  for  the  American  Optical  Co.,  Southbridge,  Mass.,  500 
feet  long,  to  carry  spectacle  lenses. 

From  this  list,  picked  at  random,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are 
many  uses  for  aerial  tramways,  and  every  installation  has  been  a 
factor  in  reducing  the  cost  of  transportation. 


I 

i 


h^1 


I 


Mechanism  tdr  transferring  Buckets  to  and  from  Surface  Cars  at  Loading 
Terminal  of  line  built  for  The  Farnam-Cheshire  Lime  Co.,  Cheshire,  Mass. 


56 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


Trenton-Bleicliert 
Aerial  Tram>vays  of  Special  Design 

CONDITIONS  sometimes  occur  when  an  aerial  tramway  can  be 
used  to  advantage  for  conveying  materials  to  and  from  points 
in  a  triangular,  quadrilateral,  or  irregular  shaped  circuit.  This 
can  readily  be  done  by  means  of  angle  stations  and  other  struc- 
tures specially  designed  to  meet  the  conditions  of  loading  and 
discharge. 


Length  of  line,   1,500  feci  in  circuit.  Hourly  capacity,   70  tons. 

Tramway,  with  Self -Dumping  Buckets,  used  for  Stocking  Warehouse, 
Keystone  Plaster  Co.,  Chester,  Pa. 

In  a  line  at  Chester,  Pa.,  built  for  the  Keystone  Plaster  Co.,  for 
stocking  gypsum,  illustrated  on  this  page,  the  track  cables  diverge 
at    an    angle    from    the    loading    terminal    on    the    dock,    spanning 
a    basin   between   this    and    the   warehouse,    close    under    the   roof 
of  which    the  carriers,  equipped  with  self-dumping  buckets,  move 
continuously  in  four  parallel  lines  above  the  stock  piles,  and  can  be 
discharged   automatically  at  any   desired  point.     The  carriages   in 
the  warehouse  travel  on  rails  suspended  from  the  roof  bents,  pass- 
ing around  seven  angles  without  detaching  from  the  traction  rope. 
The  sheaves  at  the  angles  about  which  the  traction  rope  runs  are  12 
feet  in  diameter,  and  the  total  length  of  the  circuit,  including  the 
cable  lines,  is  about  1,500  feet.    Overhead  grips  are  used  as  in  other 
lines  with  angle  stations. 

The  following  letter  was  received  in  response  to  an  inquiry  as 
to  the  service  rendered  by  this  line: 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tramw^ays  57 


"In  reply  to  your  favor  of  the  i6th,would  say  that  the  Trenton-Bleichert  tramway 
you  installed  for  us  is  highly  satisfactory.  We  handled  65,000  tons  of  rock  over  it 
last  season  with  practically  no  cost  for  repairs.  As  it  does  not  require  more  than  6 
H.  P.  to  handle  from  60  to  70  tons  per  hour,  its  operation  is  very  economical.  It 
is  a  great  labor  saver,  and  situated  as  we  are,  we  could  not  do  business  without  it." 

Suspended  Rail  Tramways  are  used  with  economy  for  trans- 
porting materials  in  factories,  warehouses  and  other  locations, 
where  a  perfectly  straight  track  is  desired.  These  are  so  named 
from  the  fact  that  the  entire  track  is  composed  of  suspended  rails, 
along  which  the  carriers  are  moved  as  in  other  lines  by  means  of 
a  light  endless  traction  rope  to  which  they  are  gripped. 

A  line  of  this  kind,  5,700  feet  in  circuit,  having  a  capacity  of  100 
tons  hourly,  with  4  angle  stations,  was  used  at  Aspinwall,  Pa.,  for 
transporting  materials  in  the  construction  of  the  filter  beds  there, 
from  which  the  water  supply  of  Pittsburg  is  drawn. 

Short  lines  of  this  kind  without  angles,  are  operated  very  satis- 
factorily for  moving  materials  in  the  manufacture  of  explosives 
at  powder  works — one  at  Ashburn,  Mo.,  built  for  the  Du  Pont 
Company  being  used  for  carrying  "dope." 

We  have  also  furnished  a  number  of  special  design  tramways, 
with  automatic  turnout  stations,  at  various  points  along  the  line, 
for  the  transportation  of  explosives,  and  these  are  all  giving  very 
satisfactory  service,  which  is  proven  by  the  repeat  orders  we  re- 
ceive for  duplicate  plants  for  other  works. 

Fifteen  different  installations  for  one  company  is  a  good  criterion 
as  to  the  satisfaction  our  tramway  equipments  give  our  customers. 


Passenger  Tramways 

We  are  prepared  to  make  estimates  and  furnish  equipments  for 
aerial  tramways  for  the  transportation  of  passengers.  In  our  pas- 
senger equipments  we  have  reached  the  acme  of  perfection  in  tram- 
way design.  Our  passenger  tramways  are  equipped  with  special 
patented  safety  devices,  and  the  materials  used  in  manufacture  are  of 
the  highest  grade  only,  the  designs  providing  for  a  very  large  factor 
of  safety,  thereby  reducing  the  possibilities  of  accident  to  a  minimum. 
There  are  a  number  of  Bleichert  passenger  tramways  in  operation, 
one  notable  installation  being  that  pictured  on  the  following  page. 


58 


American  Steel  &  M'ire  Company 


Passenger  tramway  in  the  Alps  from  the  Eisack  Valley  to  the  summit  of 

the  Kohlererberg,  in  the  Tyrol.     Length,  5,4-0  feet.     Difference 

in  elevation  between  lower  and  upper  terminal  is  2,736  feet. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram-wavs 


59 


Stackin;^  Tramways 

While  transportation  has  an  important  bearing  on  valuable  prod- 
ucts, it  also  is  quite  an  item  in  connection  with  the  disposal  of 
such  matter  as  cannot  be  sold,  such  as  waste  products. 

Of  course,  where  the  waste  product  is  only  a  very  small  percentage 
of  the  output,  it  is  not  very  seriously  considered.  But  when  the 
percentage  of  waste  approaches  or  exceeds  the  main  product,  the 
means  of  disposal  should  be  very  carefully  considered.  Such  is  the 
case  in  mining,  metallurgy,  etc. 

In  many  cases  a  regular  wire  rope  tramwa\^  will  answer  the  re- 
quirements of  disposing  of  waste  product,  provided  there  is  suffi- 
cient ground  room  to  distribute  the  material. 

It  sometimes  develops,  however,  that  the  available  space  for 
piling  this  waste  product  is  somewhat  limited  as  to  its  area,  and  to 
provide  for  this  contingency  we  have  developed  the  stacking  tram- 
way, which  can  be  arranged  to  transport  the  material  any  distance 


Fig-  35     Details  of  Stacking  Tramways 


and  stack  it  in  piles  as  high  as  250  to  300  feet,  and  higher  if  occa- 
sion requires. 

As  seen  from  Fig.  35,  this  installation  consists  mainly  of  a  bridge 
installed  at  an  inclination  adapted  as  closel}^  as  possible  to  the 
natural  gradient  of  the  heap.  This  bridge  consists  of  two  lateral 
latticed  trusses  with  connected  upper  and  lower  ties  (so  as  to  leave 
the  inner  space  free) ,  and  is  provided  with  an  endless  wire-rope 


60 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 


railwa}",  the  charging  station  of  which  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  heap 
or  at  any  distance  from  the  same.  The  bridge  itself  is  made  from 
a  number  of  short  sections,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  continuous  exten- 
sion as  the  waste  heap  grows.  After  the  upper  end  of  the  last  sec- 
tion is  covered  and  is  thus  furnished  with  sufficient  support,  a  now 
link,  freely  suspended,  is  fitted  according  to  the  cantilever  principle, 
as  seen  from  the  diagram,  while  the  terminal  pulley  is  shifted  to  this 
link  and  tipping  started  from  the  extension.  As  the  main  connections 
are  made  by  bolts,  dismounting  can  be  carried  out  readily  and 
cheaply.  In  order  to  simplify  the  extension  work  and  to  accelerate 
the  mounting,  the  final  pulley,  together  with  the  corresponding 
suspension  rail  section,  is  located  in  a  frame  suspended  from  rollers. 
As  the  latter  run  in  guides,  rigidly  connected  to  the  longitudinal 
girder,  the  whole  frame  can,  after  the  addition  of  a  new  section,  be 


Fig.  36.     Slag  Heap  and  Railway  at  Marchienne  au  Pont,  Belgium 


advanced  bodily  as  far  as  the  new  terminal  of  the  bridge.  With 
this  arrangement,  the  tightening  device  of  the  hauling  rope  will 
obviously  have  to  be  given  a  corresponding  increase  in  stroke,  so  as 
to  render  the  addition  of  a  further  bridge  section  possible  without 
inserting  a  further  wire-rope  section. 

An  automatic  tripping  device  enables  buckets  to  be  unloaded  with- 
out the  aid  of  a  workman,  and  to  return  empty  to  the  loading  station. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Tram-ways 


61 


The  economical  advantages  of  the  new  system  are  self-evident. 
In  fact,  the  consumption  of  power  is  extremely  low,  the  superin- 
tendence or  lighting-up  of  the  plant  on  the  waste-heap  is  entirely 
avoided  and  extension  work  will  only  be  found  necessary  at  com- 
paratively long  intervals.  The  following  calculation  illustrates  the 
advantage  of  the  new  type  of  railway : 

Supposing  the  waste  heap  to  be  stowed  at  an  angle  of  35  degrees, 
and  in  the  shape  of  a  cone,  the  following  table  will  give  the  volume 
of  the  waste  heap  and  the  time  at  which  extensions  are  to  be  added 
if  200  cu.  yds.  as  an  average  be  stowed  per  day. 

Let  h  be  the  height  of  the  heap  and  a  the  tipping  angle,  the  vol- 
ume of  the  cone  will  be : 

h 
J={h  cot  a)  ttX-^ 


{d  is  the  maximum  breadth  at  the  foot  of  the  waste  heap.) 

/in  Cubic  Yards 

Time  Required  for  Stowing 

n  in  Yards 

a  in  Yards 

Days^Years 

Months 

30 

86 

58,100 

290=    I 

— 

35 

100 

91,630 

460=    I 

5/2 

40 

115 

138,500 

700=     2 

s'A 

45 

129 

197,000 

1,000=    3 

3^/2 

50 

143 

267,700 

1,350=  4 

5 

55 

158 

359'5oo 

1,800=  6 

— 

60 

172 

464,700 

2,350=   7 

9'/^ 

65 

186 

588,730 

2,950=10 

— 

70 

200 

733.100 

3,700=12 

3/2 

75 

215 

907,625 

4,550=15 

2 

100 

286 

2,150,000 

10,800=36 

— 

125 

358 

4,200,000 

21,000  =  70 

— 

62  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Information  for  Estimating 

The  following  information  is  necessan-  to  enable  us  to  make 
estimates  on  tramway  equipments  : 

I. — What  is  the  length  of  the  proposed  tramway  between  loading 
and  discharge  points  ? 

The  line  should  be  perfectly  straight  if  possible.  Steep  grades  do  not  add  to 
the  expense,  but  angles  render  stations  necessan.-,  with  attendants  to  pass  the 
carriers  around  the  deflecting  sheaves,  which  adds  to  the  cost  of  construction 
and  operation.  If  angles  cannot  be  avoided,  state  the  number.  Curves  arc 
impracticable. 

2.- — Describe  the  ground  over  which  the  proposed  tramway  will 
be  erected. 

Also  give  difference  of  level  between  loading  and  discharge  points,  and  state  if 
loads  go  up  or  down  grade,  so  that  the  amount  of  power  required  or  developed 
may  be  determined,  and  all  data,  as  to  rivers,  roads,  railroads  or  buildings  over 
which  the  line  passes,  stating  width  and  necessary  clearance  in  height.  If 
possible,  send  a  profile  of  the  ground. 

3. — At  what  elcA-ation  above  ground  must  material  be  delivered 
to  or  discharged  from  the  carriers  at  the  terminal  stations  ? 

Information  desired  as  to  height  of  bins,  or  other  means  of  loading  or  discharge. 

4. — If  power  is  required  to  operate  the  tramway,  at  which  end 
can  it  be  obtained  "" 

5. — What  is  the  material  to  be  carried  ?  About  how  much  does 
it  weigh  per  cubic  foot  in  the  form  that  it  will  be  carried  in  the 
buckets,  or  other  receptacles  ? 

6. — At  how  many  hours  do  you  reckon  the  day's  work  ? 

7. — What  quantity  do  you  require  to  transport  per  hour"' 

8. — In  what  manner  is  the  transportation  now  carried  on,  and  at 
what  cost  per  ton  ? 

This  information  is  necessary'  if  estimates  are  required  showing  economy  of 
tramway  transportation  over  existing  methods. 

Preliminary  estimates  of  cost  will  be  furnished  in  response  to 
applications  made  out  on  question  sheet  to  be  found  in  the  back  of 
this  catalog,  or  upon  receipt  of  information  as  outlined  above. 
Definite  estimates  can  be  furnished  only  after  laying  out  the  line 
on  a  profile  of  the  ground  made  from  an  actual  survey.  If  pre- 
ferred, we  will  have  these  surveys  and  profiles  made  by  our  own 
engineers,  who  are  acquainted  with  the  special  requirements  of 
our  methods. 


Trenton-Bleichert  Aerial  Train^^'ays  <>3 

Contents 

Page 

American  Aerial  Tramways — Trenton-Bleichert  System    .     .  5 

Adaptations  of  the  Trenton-Bleichert  System 6 

Track  Cables 7 

Advantages  of  stationary  track  cables 10 

Couplings  for  track  cables 9 

Locked-coil  track  cable 7 

Oiler  for  track  cables 9 

Smooth-coil  track  cable 8 

Transporting  track  cables  over  mountain  trails 12 

Traction  Rope 13 

Traction  rope  coating  device 14 

Transporting  traction  rope  over  mountain  trails 15 

Rolling  Stock 16 

Buckets 18,  19,  21 

Carriages        16 

Grips 16 

Receptacles        17 

Supports 23 

Guard  nets  and  bridges 27 

Long  spans 24 

Rail  stations 24 

Tension  stations 27 

Trestles 23 

Stations        32 

Angle  stations 34 

Automatic  loaders        37 

Counters        43 

Dock  hoists 41 

Elevators 43 

Scales 43 

Shunt  rails,  switches,  etc 32 

Speed  controllers 35 

Terminals  and  intermediate  stations        32 

Transfer  of  buckets  to  and  from  surface  cars 41 

Advantages  of  the  Trenton-Bleichert  System 44 

Cost  of  Operation  and  Maintenance 45 

Reversible  Aerial  Tramways 4S 

Double  cable  reversible  tramways 4^ 

Single  cable  reversible  tramways 50 

Aerial  Tramways  of  Special  Design 56 

Suspended  rail  tramways 57 

Passenger  tramways 57 

Stacking  tramways 59 

Information  Reouired  for  Estimating 62 


The   Read   Printing   Co.,    New   York 


I 


o 


American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

c,ti,4ddr,„  30  CHDKCH  ST.,  NEW  YORK 

"STEELMAKER  NEWYORK." 

In/ot-mation  desired  to  obtain  an  approximate  Eilimale  for 


I. — What  is  the  length  of  the  proposed  tramway 
between  loading  and  discharge  points? 


I 


2. — Describe  the  ground  over  which  the  proposed 
tramway  will  be  erected. 


3. — At  what  elevation  above  ground  must  mate- 
rial be  delivered  to  or  discharged  from  the 
at  the  terminal  stations? 


^oa 


5. — What  is  the  material  to  be  carried?  About 
how  much  does  it  weigh  per  cubic  foot  in  the  form 
that  it  will  be  carried  in  the  buckets,  or  other 
receptacles? 


6. — At  how  many  hours  do  you  reckon  the  day's  work? 


7. — What  quantity  do  you  require  to  transport  per  hour? 


I 


8. — In   what  manner  is  the  transportatic 
carried,  on,  and  at  what  cost  per  ton? 


Preliminary  estimates  of  cost  will  be  furnished  in  response  to  applications  made  out  on  this  sheet  or  upon 
receipt  of  information  which  this  sheet  calls  for.  Definite  estimates  can  be  furnished  only  after  laying  out  the  line 
on  a  profile  of  the  ground  made  from  an  actual  survey.  If  preferred,  we  will  have  these  surveys  and  profiles  made 
by  our  own  engineers  who  are  acquainted  with  the  special  requirements  of  our  methods. 


■>'-.^' 


"■   ■  >*'  •      T 


uu 


OCT  2  9 
NOV 


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